The outbreak of COVID-19 and the shortage of intensivists exposed the dire need for virtual critical care solutions that can cater to large patient populations remotely. The virtual critical care solutions market is estimated to generate revenue of $1.5 billion by 2025 from $818 million in 2020.

Employees who traditionally did not have many opportunities to WFH are now used to it, like it, and wish to continue in some capacity once the pandemic is over. This is in line with most service leaders who believe WFH is here to stay post-pandemic. 81% of service leaders believe between 30-80% of their workforce will primarily be working from home two years from now.

Gartner, Inc. predicts that by 2023, more than one-in-ten workers will seek to trick artificial intelligence (AI) systems used to measure employee behavior and productivity. Such systems have seen a significant uptick in use in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Through 2022, 50% of large organizations will have failed to unify engagement channels, resulting in a disjointed and siloed customer experience that lacks context. To remedy this, research shows that organizations should deliver frictionless experiences to create more connected experiences for customers to further drive e-commerce.

Gartner found that 44% of consumers report that their highest expectations of companies is for them to ensure their own policies and practices align with a cause, but only 37% of CMOs report taking that action. 24% of consumers say one of brands’ top two priorities should be donating money to cause, yet 46% of CMOs report donations as a top action taken.

5G networks could create 4.5 million jobs in the US and add $1.5 trillion to the GDP, according to a new report from Boston Consulting Group (BCG), commissioned by CTIA. BCG’s analysis shows that 5G will contribute to employment growth by enabling innovation that will transform all sectors of America’s economy across cities and communities of all sizes.

Smart sensors with advanced artificial intelligence (AI)- and machine learning (ML)-based data analytics platforms are on the rise in the global water sector as they require minimal maintenance or human interference. The pandemic has further highlighted the sector’s technological need following disruptions and a labor shortage during lockdowns.

Worldwide IT spending is projected to total $3.9 trillion in 2021, an increase of 6.2% from 2020, according to the latest forecast by Gartner, Inc. Worldwide IT spending declined 3.2% in 2020 as CIOs prioritized spending on technology and services that were deemed “mission-critical” during the initial stages of the pandemic.

New research by the World Economic Forum and BCG shows that it’s possible to decarbonize major global supply chains with readily available technologies at low end-to-end costs. The commitment to tackling climate change is accelerating in all sectors of society, with net-zero pledges from companies, cities, and states doubling in the past year.

Frost & Sullivan finds the SCM market is expected to reach $2.2 billion in total web and email security revenues by 2024. Cloud-based deployments are projected to lead growth as more enterprises move their emails to the cloud and rely on the internet, including remote working, especially during COVID-19.

Worldwide end-user spending on wearable devices will total $81.5 billion in 2021, an 18.1% increase from $69 billion in 2020, according to the latest forecast from Gartner, Inc. The rise in remote work and increased interest in health monitoring during the COVID-19 pandemic was a significant factor driving market growth.

73% of chief marketing officers (CMOs) report they will rely on existing customers to fuel growth in 2021, rather than looking to develop new markets, shows a new survey by Gartner. 39% of CMOs plan to increase sales of existing products to existing customers, while 34% will introduce new products to existing customers in 2021.

Nontraditional competitors – especially digital giants, such as Amazon and Alibaba, as well as startups – are reshaping industries through disruptive innovation, the ability to uncover and address unknown customer needs and very agile supply chains.,

CFOs will fail to realize the full value of new technology investments unless their staff are equipped with five key digital competencies which are most crucial for delivering high business impact, according to Gartner, Inc.

Mapping the new customer experience to understand how buyers are using digital and human channels, often simultaneously, will unlock growth for B2B sales organizations in the next three years. According to Gartner, the key to accelerating that growth is a low-effort, digital buying experience that boosts customer confidence.

In the near future, manufacturing companies will work together in hyper-connected value networks in which data-and-analytics applications drive productivity, new customer experiences, and societal and environmental impact.

“Car drivers can currently make in-vehicle payments by using applications such as Alexa, Xevo Market or the Banma platform to purchase fuel, food, or pay for parking,” said Mike Ramsey, research vice president at Gartner. “The types of services available will continue to increase as automakers, merchant brands and services, and software suppliers’ partnerships proliferate.”

79% of marketers believe the best way to engage B2B buyers is to deliver personally relevant communications. This level of personalization requires more from marketers - more customer insights, content, and resources. However, this is a luxury many B2B marketers can’t afford right now.

Chief marketing officers (CMOs) must focus on building trust as 57% of consumers reported they lacked trust in U.S. brands, according to a recent survey by Gartner, Inc. In the midst of dire loss of trust, marketing leaders hope to differentiate themselves by improving brand trust.

To be more agile and adaptive in the year ahead, marketing leaders must prioritize four core competencies with a renewed focus that accounts for the unprecedented changes of 2020. Customer understanding, adaptive planning, data-driven decision making and strategic cost optimization are the core competencies that will help marketing to survive and thrive in 2021.